What does bêtises in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word bêtises in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use bêtises in French.

The word bêtises in French means kid, stupidity, mistake, naughtiness, something stupid, something silly, something foolish, nonsense, nothing, rubbish. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word bêtises

kid

verbe intransitif (rare (dire des bêtises, plaisanter) (informal)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Il n'était pas sérieux, il bêtisait.

stupidity

nom féminin (imbécillité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon petit frère est d'une bêtise atterrante. Cet écrivain déteste la bêtise.
My little brother's stupidity is astounding.

mistake

nom féminin (maladresse)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Pardon, je crois que j'ai fait une bêtise : j'ai envoyé cet e-mail confidentiel à toute la boîte sans faire exprès ! Mon fils a cassé le nain de jardin de ma voisine et pour réparer sa bêtise, il est allé tondre sa pelouse.
Sorry, I think I've done something stupid; I've accidentally sent that confidential email to everyone in the office.

naughtiness

nom féminin pluriel (maladresse) (uncountable)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La jeune maman était fatiguée de devoir réparer les bêtises de ses enfants.
The young mother was tired of having to sort out her children's naughtiness.

something stupid, something silly, something foolish

nom féminin (propos idiot, erreur)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
N'hésitez pas à me reprendre si je dis une bêtise. J'espère ne pas dire de bêtise en disant que le Directeur Général devrait nous rendre visite la semaine prochaine.
Don't hesitate to pull me up if I say something stupid. I hope I'm not saying something silly when I say the CEO should be coming to visit us next week.

nonsense

nom féminin pluriel (propos ineptes) (uncountable)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Tu racontes des bêtises.
You're talking nonsense.

nothing

nom féminin (chose sans gravité)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon frère et sa copine se sont disputés pour une bêtise.
My brother and his girlfriend had an argument over nothing.

rubbish

nom féminin (babiole, objet sans valeur) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'avais chargé mon fils d'aller faire les courses mais il n'a acheté que des bêtises et nous n'avons rien à manger pour ce midi !
I sent my son to do the shopping, but he just bought rubbish and we haven't got anything to eat for lunch!

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of bêtises in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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